Kari Dunfield is Canada’s Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology of Agro-ecosystems and one of Canada’s premier scientists working at the intersection of microbiology, ecology and soil science.
The global population is expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050, and agricultural systems are projected to expand their contribution to food, fuel, feed and fibre production. However, intensive agriculture can cause major environmental challenges, through greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
Understanding the role of soil microorganisms is crucial to ensure we can sustainably produce enough food to feed a growing population. Dr. Dunfield’s use of cutting-edge molecular techniques to investigate challenging issues related to agricultural practices, environmental change and soil biodiversity have propelled her work to the forefront of her field.
Her goal is to improve our understanding of soil ecosystem services in order to promote the development of sustainable farming practices that protect the environment while meeting the increasing requirements for food, feed and biofuels.
The Dunfield Lab
Our lab works at the intersection of microbiology, ecology, and soil science, to investigate the microbial communities and microbial processes driving the global processes that help support life on Earth.
Soils are on the front line of global environmental change; over 95% of the world’s food is produced in soil and the world’s topsoil contains 3 times more carbon as the entire atmosphere. Soil disturbance has caused significant loss of arable land, and is a major contributor to global GHG emissions. Protecting soil resources is a defining issue of our time, but solutions are complex and require an integrated cross-disciplinary approach. Any solution will also require that we leverage the best and brightest minds, and this can only happen in an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment.
Microbes play key roles in health, food security, and industry, and drive the global processes that support life on Earth. We work at the forefront of an intensely dynamic field of research, studying the microbiome in the environment, with particular emphasis on the soil microbiome.
Contact Information:
Dr. Kari Dunfield
Professor
School of Environmental Sciences
University of Guelph
519-824-4120 x58088 (Office)
519-824-5730 (Fax)